Multicultural Student Achievement Network (Msan) Executive Director

Job Summary:

The Multicultural Student Achievement Network (MSAN) is a national coalition of multiracial school districts that have come together to understand and eliminate racial opportunity gaps that persist in their schools. MSAN districts have student populations between 3,000 and 33,000 and are most often located in well-established first-ring suburbs or small/mid-size cities. Additionally, the districts share a history of high academic achievement and connections to major research universities.

Across MSAN districts, disparities on an array of achievement data demonstrate wide gaps in performance across students from diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Since 1999, MSAN has worked fervently to achieve the parallel goals of closing gaps while ensuring all students achieve to high levels. To this end, districts work collaboratively to conduct and publish research, analyze policies, share promising practices, and lift up student voices in pursuit of the Network’s mission. MSAN’s core values (Five E’s) are to: EMPOWER Students’ Voices, Promote EDUCATIONAL Research and Best Practices, ENGAGE in Professional Learning, EMBRACE Collaboration with Students and Practitioners and Attain EFFICACY in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Antiracism.

MSAN is seeking outstanding candidates for the position of Executive Director. We are looking for candidates that demonstrate visionary leadership, exceptional financial management skills, experience balancing an organizational budget, impeccable communication skills, fundraising expertise, grant writing experience, K-12 experience, and experience working to advance equity in public education outcomes with a special focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color’s outcomes. This is a full-time equivalent position and requires the supervision of the MSAN Project Manager and travel to all MSAN events (events may be in and out of the state of Wisconsin).

Responsibilities:

Coordinates management of multiple related projects and/or ongoing operations, which are directed toward a common objective. Monitors the cost, schedule, and performance of component projects and operations while working to ensure the ultimate success of the program.

• 25% Creates a program plan and structure, monitors progress and performance against the program plan, and identifies, resolves, or escalates program risks and issues
• 5% Leads and manages efforts to determine and coordinate the sharing of resources among component projects to the overall benefit of the program
• 5% Manages the activities of outside contractors and vendors to ensure they are integrated into the program and that the organization receives satisfactory standards of service
• 15% Facilitates the estimation of program costs, resources, and time required to complete the overall program, monitors activities and budgets, directs and leads component project manager activities for consistency and alignment, and works with program leadership to ensure these targets are met. Follows established change control processes if targets can no longer be met
• 10% Prepares regular reports to communicate the status of the program within and beyond the program team, communicates program goals, risks, and status with program executive level, program sponsors, and stakeholders, and develops and uses appropriate dashboards, measures, and reporting tools
• 20% Sets priorities, allocates tasks, and collaborates with project staff to meet program targets and milestones. Manages the change control process and acts as the mid-level decision making authority
• 15% Design, plan and facilitate MSAN meetings, conferences and other events. Develop and maintain partnerships. Lead efforts to seek and secure grants and sponsorships. Supervise 1 staff person.
• 5% Supervises at least 1.0 FTE employee, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Education:

Preferred
Master’s Degree
Education or related field

Qualifications:

– Minimum of 5 years in a leadership role within public education
– Minimum of 3 years leading programs that promote equity in public education, in particular for historically underrepresented groups
– Work experience contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment
– Experience managing budgets and/or forecasting finances
– Experience working collaboratively to accomplish program goals and create vision for the future.
– Experience leading externally funded projects
– Minimum 5 years experience communicating effectively across varied stakeholder groups

Preferred Qualifications
– Ability to establish and maintain effective, professional, and team-oriented working relationships with administrators, faculty, staff, graduate students, and postdocs, at UW Madison, other partner institutions, and nationally in the education community.
– Evidence of strong organizational skills
– Demonstrated strong communication skills

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Salary:

Minimum $77,100 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
The starting salary for the position is $77,100 but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits.

Additional Information:

The MSAN Executive Director is housed within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). Established in 1964, is one of the first, most productive, and largest university-based education research and development centers in the world. WCER’s researchers and staff work to make teaching and learning as effective as possible for all ages and all people.
WCER’s mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic disciplines and practitioners. To this end, our center helps scholars and practitioners develop, submit, conduct, and share grant-funded education research.
At WCER, all employees share five fundamental organization values to guide the purpose and quality of our work and interactions within ourselves and our outside stakeholders. The values that the work and people of WCER strive to uphold are:
– Innovation and Excellence. Continuous improvement is a driver for excellence. We innovate and improve in our work to advance education through leading research and development.
– Equitable Education. Equitable education is essential to a healthy society. We aim to reverse imbalances and injustices in education through our work.
– Affirming and Increasing Diversity. Individual differences and group diversity inspire creative and equitable outcomes. We actively affirm and seek to increase such diversity in our center.
– Healthy Workplace. The well-being of our workplace enhances success for all. We commit to a workplace based on mutual respect and transparency.
– Partnering Across Differences. Diverse backgrounds and expertise improve the quality of our work. We collaborate across disciplines, methodologies, organizations, and communities to strengthen our research and development outcomes.

How to Apply:

Please click on the “Apply Now” button to start the application process. As part of the application process, you will be required to submit:
– A cover letter addressed to Courtney Bell, describing how your experience and qualifications meet the requirements of this position
– A current resume
– A list with the contact information of at least three professional references

Our center is conscious of inequities in the field of education and how these disproportionately harm the most marginalized members of our society- including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) individuals, people from poor and working-class backgrounds, people with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ people. We firmly believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or members of other marginalized groups.

Contact:

Becky Ohan
bsohan@wisc.edu
608-262-5158
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Project Program Manager (B)(AD051)

Department(s):

A17-SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WCER

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

279508-AS

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website: https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/

Employment will require a criminal background check. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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